When you need support

Hello SparkPeople members

If you missed this last week, I shared a way to greatly enhance your motivation by building "lasting motivation" instead of "momentary motivation" that doesn't lead to real change. This includes a new program on SparkPeople that is like having a free virtual coach if you haven't tried it yet.

My surgery recovery continues to go well. Now that I can joke about this experience a little, I have told people that my brain is working better now. So, this wasn't the easiest self-improvement program given the surgery involved, but I'll take it :).

After saying this a few times, I reflected on the fact that it wasn't a "self-improvement program." Instead it was a "group-improvement program" since I had help and support from so many people including:

• My co-worker Billi who was there to help as I had a seizure
• My brother who came right away to help along with other family members like my wife and kids
• My hero Dr. Leng the highly-rated neurosurgeon who managed to do all of this without any lasting impact to my brain
• All the other doctors, nurses, and paramedics
• Co-workers at SparkPeople who helped cover me during this experience
• Thousands of SparkPeople members plus friends and even many strangers who sent positive thoughts and prayers the entire time

Growing up with anxiety, it wasn't easy for me to accept help from other people because I was very independent. So, one of the lessons out of this experience for me is that there are a lot of people willing to give help to others.

I hope you will keep this in mind if you need any type of help about any type of issue. In my case, I was forced to accept help. I do realize that some people might think it's easier to have a brain seizure and be forced to have help rather than actually ask someone for help :).

It can take a lot of courage, but this type of "ask" can really be worth it.

One of my favorite types of story on SparkPeople is when people receive help and support from others in our community. Then they take the tiniest of steps, gain confidence, and start helping other people reach their goals creating one of the best types of virtuous cycles.

So, keep in mind that if you ask for support, the odds are good that you will eventually be given the opportunity to pay it forward and help others -- perhaps the people you love the most or maybe even to a stranger on the internet (who could then become a friend).

Finally, with my second lease on life, I'll do my best to be here to support all of you and pay back your support. I received such a great comment on last week's blog that I thought I would share it here with you. My joke that will make sense after you read the comment is that sometimes I'm tired and don't feel like writing, but I do it anyway because I receive so many comments like this:

**
ITSALLGOOD6
Some mornings when I rise and shine I tell myself that I don't have to do my morning QiGong/Yoga/Mediation routine before coffee. And then I laugh at myself and do it. Some mornings after breakfast I tell myself I don't have to log on to SP and plan my day and my meals. And then I laugh at myself and do it. Some days I tell myself I don't really have to ride my stationary recumbent bike...and well, you know....I laugh and do it anyway. Knowing that SP has my back and is rooting for me is what keeps me vigilant and on track. I am grateful for the motivation and support.
**

One of my favorite parts about her comment is the mention that she now uses SparkPeople to plan her days as part of our new virtual coach feature mentioned at the beginning of this email. It's a fact that if you get really good at planning, you will improve your results at DOING!

Have a great week and happy holidays to all! Remember to look for opportunities for your own group-improvement program if needed.

If you have any comments or highlights you'd like to share, here is the blog for this post.

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SparkCheers!

Chris "SparkGuy" Downie



Chris (SparkGuy)

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